Garbage & Recycling in Korea
Korea has strict sorting rules. Here's how to not get fined.
The 4 categories
1. General waste (์ผ๋ฐ์ฐ๋ ๊ธฐ)
Must use paid bags (์ข ๋์ ๋ดํฌ). Buy at convenience stores or marts. White or pink bags depending on district.
20L bag: โฉ500โ800
2. Recyclables (์ฌํ์ฉ)
Free! Separate into: paper, plastic, cans, glass, styrofoam, vinyl. Rinse containers. Remove labels if possible.
Cost: Free
3. Food waste (์์๋ฌผ์ฐ๋ ๊ธฐ)
Separate bin or RFID machine in apartment. Remove bones, shells, seeds first. Drain liquid.
Charged by weight or bag
4. Large items (๋ํํ๊ธฐ๋ฌผ)
Furniture, appliances, mattresses. Must apply online and pay sticker fee. Can't just leave outside.
โฉ3,000โ30,000 per item
Recycling sorting guide
Paper (์ข
์ด)Boxes, newspapers, books. Flatten boxes.
Plastic (ํ๋ผ์คํฑ)Bottles, containers. Rinse, remove cap.
Cans (์บ)Aluminum, steel cans. Rinse.
Glass (์ ๋ฆฌ)Bottles only. Remove caps. Separate by color if required.
Vinyl (๋น๋)Plastic bags, wrap. Separate from hard plastic.
Styrofoam (์คํฐ๋กํผ)Remove tape/labels. Clean.
When to take out trash
- โข Apartments: Usually anytime (designated area in basement or ground floor)
- โข Villas/houses: Evening only (after 6โ8 PM), specific days
- โข Check with building guard for exact schedule
- โข Recycling day: Usually specific days (varies by district)
Common mistakes (= fines โฉ100,000+)
- โข Using wrong bag (must be your district's official bag)
- โข Putting food waste in general trash
- โข Leaving large items without sticker
- โข Not sorting recyclables